Rita’s Ice, a sweet institution since 1984, has expanded to Alameda with a shop at the South Shore Center. Coming soon is a Santa Clara location at 1807 Pruneridge Ave. The chain’s specialties include the East Coast-born Italian ices, legendary in New York and New Jersey for decades (mango is the top seller) and the frozen custard that’s wildly popular in the Midwest, especially St. Louis.

If you can’t decide between the two, you can order a Gelati, which tops the icy concoction with big swirls of the creamy custard. Or if you can’t settle on one flavor, you can order one of the Ice Flights, a sampler of four. The Italian ice is also available in a sugar-free version, sweetened with Splenda.